Don’t they know that this political activity makes their holding office as a Commissioner totally illegal?

Vice President Reding, responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship

Vice President Tajani, responsible for industry and entrepreneurship

Vice President Šefčovič, responsible for inter-institutional relations and administration

Vice President Rehn, responsible for economic and monetary affairs and the Euro

Commissioner Lewandowski, responsible for financial programming and the budget

Commissioner Mimica, responsible for consumer policy.

Commissioner De Gucht, responsible for trade, who curiously said he would not take up his seat.

The European Commission has become composed of wall-to-wall politicians. The Commission was originally all non-politicians! Over the years by sleight of hand governmental politicians replaced all independent thinkers by their Party buddies. This massive Party nepotism is contrary both to the spirit of the Community method and the letter of the treaties.

It is illegal. Politicians are directly and very specifically EXCLUDED by ALL treaties!

Who do political leaders now exclude from the Commission?

Ordinary citizens!

The European Commission was designed to be EXCLUSIVELY the domain of ordinary, honest citizens.

What sort of citizens should the Commission be composed of? The treaties from the first treaties (Paris 1951, the two treaties of Rome, 1957 up to the present Lisbon treaties) are clear.

The Commissioners are to be experienced in European sector matters. That is obvious but it is not the main qualification that the treaties insist on. The main criterion is INDEPENDENCE. They should be people of sterling character who are able to judge all matters before them with impartiality. They should not be moved by lobbies or disinformation. People of character like Walter Hallstein, Etienne Hirsch, Paul Finet, who stood up to the autocratic bombast of de Gaulle’s plan to turn the Commission into his secretariat (Fouchet Plan, policy of empty chair) required excellent political skills. These were not party politicians.

The Politburo parties want a full Fouchet Plan mark 2. But they have met with resistance by ‘populist’ parties that represent people who find their autocratic tactics unpopular and corrupt.

The Lisbon Treaty (TFEU) in article 245 says that:

The members of the Commission shall refrain from any action incompatible with their duties. Member States shall respect their independence and shall not seek to influence them in the performance of their tasks. The members of the Commission may not, during their term of office, engage in any other occupation, whether gainful or not. When entering their duties they shall give a solemn undertaking that, both during and after their term of office, they will respect the obligations arising there from and in particular their duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits.

What is meant by ‘INDEPENDENT’? The Commissioner must not depend, or be tied or be linked or associated with any other body or interest group. ‘Independent’ is plain English. Its equivalents are well understood in all European official languages of the treaties. There is no excuse for error!

What is the opposite of ‘Independent’? It is dependent, associated with another interest, tied to a faction. The opposite to independent is PARTISAN. That means the person is a member of a Party.

What have members of the Commission done illegally (besides misuse of Commission resources)? They have:

retained their active membership of political parties,

attended political party meetings of these chosen parties,

used public money (taxpayers’ money!) to attend these meeting and for other expenses,

involved officials (civil servants) of the Commission in these activities,

actively involved themselves in the partisan and ideological policies of their chosen parties,

put their names forward for party political posts,

militated for party policy for the European Parliament,

denigrated other parties and their policies,

been elected to the European Parliament as MEPs.

And in the final insult to the public

they have then returned to their offices in the European Commission with the hypocritical assertion that they are independent and impartial !!

In reality, these Commissioners done their utmost to prove they are absolutely PARTISAN !

The treaties do not take these violations as frivolously as the politicians. The same article says that in any breach of the Code of Independence, the Commissioner may be taken to Court and censored.

In the event of any breach of these obligations the Court of Justice may, on application by the Council, acting by single majority or the Commission, rule that the Member concerned shall be, according to the circumstances, either compulsorily retired in accordance to article 247 or deprived of his right of pension or other benefits in its stead.

The politicians may think they have things sown up so that this stipulation is rendered useless. Council politicians select subservient politicians who now dominate the Commission. They make their own internal Commission rules about parties. Nepotism rules both Council and Commission. They have excluded anyone who stands against them — especially critics who resent European policy being run for decades for the benefit of three mainstream parties in closed-door sessions in the European Council and the Council of Ministers.

Politicians have forgotten one other Court. That is the Court of Public Opinion. The European Parliament elections results show the mounting levels of distrust. The public turn away in contempt at this interminable stitch-up. Now the nepotistic system of biased national elections (and no European election) by governmental parties is working against the Politburo. It has returned between a quarter or a third of the seats to parties and personalities vigorously opposed to Euro-nepotism. Nearly three fifths of the public refuse to vote at all! Even taking into account the countries were voting is compulsory, the average turn-out for the EU is a derisive 43 percent.

What about the Court of Public Opinion? It has clearly given its opinion about the gerrymandering abuses of the European Parliament. Corruption in the EP increases corruption in the Commission. The public long recognized that most political parties are controlled by small groups and interests. External organisations, whether businesses, trade unions, consumer or environmental groups dominate both the policy and the activities. Political parties are by definition powerful lobby groups. The mechanisms by which they work is too often covered in sophisticated obscurity.

Does the public know what impartiality is? Can the public recognize partisans? Can the public understand who is really independent of partisan propaganda and disinformation?

Certainly! the public can analyze political abuse in politicians’ words and action. Political nepotism is easy to identify. It excludes independent non-party voices!

The origin, purpose and future of supranational and European Democracy

About: EURDEMOCRACY

Robert Schuman wrote a book, For Europe, incorporating some of his speeches explaining the principles of a new, more perfect form of democracy that would unite the existing European democracies in a supranational European Community. These comments here draw on that founding philosophy that united Europe's Allies and former enemies in a constructive new entity. Schuman said it would change world politics. It introduced, he said, a new stage in the history of civilization. More information on Schuman and democracy on www.schuman.info Reproduction is permitted freely provided no profit is made in the process, otherwise permission must be obtained. (c) Bron, D Price asserts his moral right to be considered the author. Information: dp@schuman.info
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